Browse Al Islam

What Is Islam?

Maulana A. U. Kaleem

Part II: Islam—Synopsis of Religious Preaching

Islam literally means Peace, surrender of one's Will; and to
be in amity and concord. The significance of the name of Islam is the
attainment of a life of perfect peace and eternal happiness through
complete surrender to the Will of God. The Quran--the Holy Book of the
Muslims--interprets it to be the religion who teachings are in consonance
with human nature. Islam, as the Quran has stated (5:4), is the completion
of the religion inaugurated by God in the beginning of the world, on
His sending the Quran through the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings
of God be upon him. As a child is taught his alphabet, so God taught
religion to the world gradually and little by little, by sending His
prophets at different times and to different peoples.

When the world reached the stage of understanding that it was ready
for the final lesson, He sent the last and complete Book through the
Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him. This Book not
only corrects errors which had found their way into various religions,
but preaches the truths which have not been preached before, on account
of special circumstances of the society or the early stage of its development.
At the same time it gathers together in itself the truths which were
contained in any Divine revelation granted to any people for the guidance
of men (The Quran, 98:4). Lastly, it meets all the spiritual and moral
requirements of an ever-advancing humanity.

This is Islam which is wrongly called Muhammadanism.

According to Islam, the object of man's life is its complete unfoldment.
Islam does not support the idea that man is born in sin. It teaches
that everyone has within himself the seed of perfect development and
it rests solely with a person himself to make or mar his fortune.

Surely, WE have created man in the best make; (The Holy Quran
95:5)

The cardinal doctrine of Islam is the Unity of Godhead. There is
none worthy of worship but the One and Only God, Allah, and
Muhammad is His Prophet. God is free from all defects, Holy and Transcendent.
He is All Good, All Mercy and All Power. He has no partner. He neither
begets nor is He begotten, because these are the traits of frail and
weak humanity. Furthermore, Islam helps us to establish a permanent
relationship with God and to realize Him during our earthly life as
our Helper in all our affairs and undertakings. This Unity of God is
the first and foremost pillar of Islam and every other belief hangs
upon it.

Islam requires belief in all the prophets, including Abraham, Moses,
Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Confucius and Zoroaster. We regard them all
(and many more not mentioned here) as heavenly teachers born to reform
and regenerate man and lead him to God. Adherents of some other religions
may consider it an act of piety to use disrespectful words and heap
abuse on the prophets of other religions, but if a Muslim were to show
the slightest disrespect towards the founder of any faith, he does so
at the cost of his own faith. He has to utter the respectful benediction
Alaihis-Salam (peace be on him) after mentioning the name of
every prophet. Thus Islam establishes peace between all religions.